Monday, March 18, 2013

RCI Cybermagazine

Canadians consume too much salt and that can have dangerous health consequences. Researchers have created an on-line tool to help people figure out exactly how much salt they eat daily. The goal is make them understand their intake and to get them to decrease it.

The average Canadian consumes 3,400 mg. of salt. That’s more than twice the recommended amount. High sodium intake can lead to high blood pressure which in turn, is a risk for stroke, heart disease and kidney disease. It is also linked with an increased risk of osteoporosis, stomach cancer and severity of asthma.

It seems that more and more, people love dogs. They're great companions people will say.

As lifestyles change across the continent, there appears to be a growing need for that companionship. Adult children often have to move far away from parents, leaving an empty nest and a gap that older folks want to fill.

People are getting married later, there are more divorces and so more single people. Some married couples choose not to have children and buy dogs which become surrogate children. So it seems in many cases, people are buying dogs to fill in that lonliness gap.

There are now dog hotels, and companies that create dog birthday parties, and an unimaginable array of toys and accesories. But dog ownership is not without its crises, some dog-made, some, perhaps more because of their owners...and then there are conflicts with non-dog owners.

Bountiful films of Vancouver has looked into the culture of dog ownership in North America, and produced a film documentary called Dog Dazed.

On this edition of "Politics Today" RCI's Wojtek Gwiazda talked about the announcement by Canada's Prime MInister Stephen Harper that the northern Canadian region of Northwest Territories would get more powers, including control over natural resources.

As well there's coverage of the leadership race in the opposition Liberal Party of Canada. MP and former astronaut Marc Garneau has decided to pull out of the leadership campaign.

And Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has announced the date of the new federal budget.